Michael Netzer - Web Activism

Web Activism

A 40-day retreat to the Dead Sea resort of Ein Gedi in February 2003 inspired Netzer to go back to his early spiritual themes and activism.

In January 2004, Netzer launched his first web site, "The New Comic Book of Life", outlining his theories on superhero mythology and the role it plays in cultural evolution. On the site, Netzer revealed unpublished material espousing this manifesto from 1977–1981, which had never seen publication. He also apologized to colleague Neal Adams for his law suit against him in the previous decade. In November 2004, he launched a second web site, "The Comic Book Creator's Party", calling on comics creators to form a political union for participating in the 2008 U.S. Presidential elections, and quoting notable comics creators' references to the socio-political climate in America and abroad. Netzer has since launched several other web sites, including "The Comic Book Creators' Guild", "Growing Earth Consortium" and "Michael Netzer Online", the site-complex portal.

While producing no mainstream comics art from the mid-1990s until 2010, Netzer maintained a web presence, speaking on comics community issues, including a campaign to bolster comic fandom's support for J'onn J'onzz The Martian Manhunter, facing a rumored demise in DC Comics Final Crisis crossover series. In early 2009, Netzer founded and launched Facebook Comic Con.

Following his conviction that art should contribute towards the betterment of society, Netzer joined Comics For All in May 2010, a collective of Israeli comics artists that aims to promote the medium as a cultural and educational tool for aiding underprivileged children. The organization operates under the auspices of comic book retailer chain Comics N' Vegetables, and contributed to the retailer winning the Will Eisner Spirit of Comics Retailer Award in 2011. Netzer participates in various activities voluntarily.